Work in Progress
by Master Jesse
Summary: He isn't having the best day. It doesn't seem like the rest of his week is going to be good either. I won't be updating this anytime soon.


Don't Own It!

Chapter 1 : Construction Zone

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This was the absolute worst sight he had ever seen. He stood in the underbrush and wanted to cry. The billboard in front of him disgusted him. 'Construction Zone.' The two worst words he had ever seen. He looked at the dirt behind the sign and felt a tear roll down his cheek. This was terrible. He felt like someone had just ripped his arm off and hit him with it. After his day if anyone decided they wanted to do exactly that. He wouldn't care. In fact he would probably welcome it.

He walked through the streets of his hometown and couldn't bear to look at any of it. It had been destroyed while he had been out running around in the woods. There were marks of battle all over the town. The civilians were just now being allowed out of the hideouts. Wails of despair rose as people saw what was left of their homes. He didn't want to be here. He had sought out his hideout for that exact reason. But the snakes had demolished all of the land in that area.

He went back to his house, for once he was grateful that it was there. He hated his home. He hated being in it. Most of all he hated that he hated it. There was no reason to care so much. He walked in the door and wanted to walk back out. His father and the other fathers were drunk and sprawled all over the house. Ino's father was draped over the back of the couch, his hair pooling in rivers on the floor. It looked so much like Ino's had after she cut it during the preliminaries. He couldn't miss Chouji's dad since he was curled in a ball right in front of the door. He carefully avoided the sleeping meatball and took a step into the kitchen. His feet stopped and he realized his father was still conscious. 'Jeez boy. Scare me half to death.' His dad released the jutsu and smiled. His face was red with inebriation. 'So you survived.' Shikamaru nodded and passed his barely moving father toward the stairs.

'We did too!' Shikaku called as his head grew heavy. The brunet quickly ran up the stairs to his room. He didn't want one of the drunk men to wake up. If they weren't in public the crew got quite rowdy and Shikamaru didn't want to deal with it. He fell to his bed and his thoughts flew back to the sound nin he fought in the forest. 'I didn't thank Asuma.' He collapsed into sleep. His dreams were ravaged by dark thoughts but he stayed asleep until his mother, who had left as soon as she saw the three nin walking to the house, woke him. She was not a fool. 'Shikamaru. Wake up.' The lazy nin opened his eyes and looked at his mother. Something in her eyes made her frown. She sighed and kissed his forehead softly. 'Go back to sleep. I'll wake you when lunch is ready.' He rolled over and fell back to sleep. He could not bear being awake.

'The Hokage has died.' Shikaku said quietly when he saw his wife walking down the stairs. He grasped her arm as her knees gave out. The shock was too much, tears fell and her husband pulled her in tightly. All throughout the village others were reacting the same way. Shinobi were staring in shock and civilians were crying. Shikamaru woke after only a few minutes and followed his mother downstairs. He saw his parents and knew something was wrong. The look his father gave him screamed what had happened. He sat down and sighed. A habit he had inherited from his mother. Emotional breathing she called it. When she got a little upset she would sigh. He sighed whenever something frustrated him. This was frustrating to hear. But he was a Shinobi, he couldn't show his emotions. Although he couldn't find any inside of him. That thought caused another sigh to escape his mouth. His mother touched his shoulder and he looked to her. 'Shikamaru.' He stood and hugged her, although it did nothing for the unsettled feeling he was having.

A few days later the entire town was in black. He walked with his parents to the ceremony but quickly lost them in favor of Chouji and Ino. The ceremony went on as best it could. The rain expressed the emotions all of them were barely holding back. After they all gave their respects, people started trickling away. Shikamaru walked with Ino and Chouji for a while. They were all silent. Even Ino, who normally would be enraged that Shikamaru and Sakura had gone on a mission and she hadn't been woken, was silent.

They separated and Shikamaru did not go home. He couldn't bear to be in that place because it meant that his special spot was gone. He had to find a new one. He would lose himself if he could not get away from life. He walked through town and quickly found himself at the western edge of town furthest from the carnage that had devastated their town. The trees still stood tall and solemn. He walked slowly through them. His eyes moving from the ground to the top of the trees. This side had no clearings, it was all trees, a dense, dense bundle of them. He had no choice but to look for a branch, strong enough to support him, and yet high enough that he could see the sky. He found one that looked promising and slowly climbed up, branch by branch. He did not see the point in wasting what little chakra he had regained to get to the top faster. He felt another presence and looked down to see a familiar face staring up at him.

'Shikamaru.' The brunet lifted his hand a waved. It was a mistake since his other hand had not fully grasped the branch. His fingers started to slip and his feet lost their grip. -So bothersome.- He closed his eyes. The climb had relaxed him too much and he couldn't call forth his chakra fast enough to cling to the tree. He was going to fall, it wasn't that far, but it still wouldn't feel nice. He felt a rough hand wrap around his wrist and he opened his eyes as his fall stopped. 'Thanks.' He was pulled to a thick branch and he leaned against the trunk as the other sat further out from the tree.

'What _are _you doing?' Shikamaru looked down at the bark. It was scarred and healing, as if someone had been here before. 'Climbing.' He wasn't going to tell anyone about how he passed his time. This was his secret. 'You still haven't recovered. Your chakra is barely present.' He listened but his mind was tracing lines in the bark. 'Asuma-sensei, I'm fine. It's possible to climb a tree without chakra.' His eyes were sharp as they looked up to his teacher. His mood was getting worse as his mind began to act out his missions and all the things he had seen.

Asuma nodded and dropped to the ground. He stared up at Shikamaru and walked out of sight. He knew something was wrong with the boy. As soon as he knew Shikamaru couldn't see him he stopped and leaned against a tree. He wasn't leaving the boy to fall, if he wasn't going to use any chakra and he fell from any further up if would be bad news. He wasn't going to have another person in this village get injured if he could help it.

Shikamaru stood and grabbed the branch above his head. He pulled himself up and continued on slowly. His thoughts receded and he focused on his ascent. He knew Asuma was still watching, but he didn't care. At least he could pretend he was by himself. If someone was visible it was harder, obviously. He slipped once and felt the surge in Asuma's chakra, but he caught himself and the chakra slipped back into invisibility. Once he got to his branch he sat with his legs crossed and happily looked up to the sky. The clouds were white and fluffy. The rain clouds from earlier had drifted away to other lands. He watched the clouds and his thoughts floated away with them. He stared at the clouds and his eyes started to drift close.

Asuma watched the boy, he walked closer when he saw the boy's eyes closing. That couldn't be good. He was halfway up the tree when Shikamaru started to lean to the side. As soon as the boy left the branch he was in Asuma's arms and was back on the ground. Shikamaru was so light it surprised the jounin. He hadn't noticed how small the boy had gotten. He frowned. Again he had missed the important thing in favor of the trivial. He had noticed changes in Chouji and Ino, but none in the quiet boy who had changed the most. He laid Shikamaru down on the ground and propped him against the tree. He felt the presence of an ANBU behind him and turned. The man gave him a note and he looked down at Shikamaru. He had to leave. Shikamaru looked exhausted. Hopefully he would sleep long enough for him to get whatever it was he had been summoned for done, and could get back and tend to the issue. He pulled out a jacket he had tucked away and laid it over Shikamaru.

Hours passed and Shikamaru still slept. His chakra was slowly returning to normal. His mind knew this and would not let him wake until it had been restored. Asuma still hadn't returned. He had been pulled in to do some work rebuilding the village. He couldn't say no. The sun started to fall and footsteps neared the sleeping boy. A pale hand descended upon him and suddenly the sleeping nin jerked forward. He stared up at the black eyes of his invaded and leaned back against the tree. 'Asuma-san sent me to wake you.' The Uchiha's voice was flat. Obviously he had not volunteered, but had not been allowed to refuse either. 'You woke me. You can go.' Shikamaru pulled the jacket closer over him and rolled onto his side. 'I was told to make sure you get home…' Sasuke stood above the Nara boy, but he didn't move. In fact it looked as if he was asleep again. Sasuke was tempted to kick the boy, but he didn't know how he would react and he didn't want to anger him. Or worse, anger Asuma-san. He had been intimidated into this by a stern look. He couldn't imagine what he would get if he injured Shikamaru. It was late and he was getting tired. He had been busy all day and his sleep was full of nightmares. He sat on the other side of the tree and his eyes quickly closed. At least Asuma wouldn't get mad at him for just leaving Shikamaru.

Shikamaru woke first. He shivered in the cold night air and tried to pull the jacket closer to him, but could not. He felt around for the jacket and hit something hard, but soft at the same time. His eyes locked in envy on a dark head wrapped by the jacket he wanted. He shook the other and tried to wake him, when that didn't work he stood and yanked on the jacket. It came up quickly and he stumbled back. He draped the oversized jacket over himself and looked down at the sleeping Uchiha. 'Sleep tight.' He pushed the boy with his foot and started off. He couldn't wait on him waking up. He had to give Asuma his jacket back, now. He didn't want to bother his teacher any more than he already had.

Sasuke stared at the receding feet. He growled quietly and climbed to his feet. He ran to catch up with the other and poked him hard on the back. Shikamaru turned and glared. 'What?' The Uchiha glared back. The lazy nin got bored quickly and turned away. He started off to Asuma's house. 'You're going the wrong way,' Sasuke said. Shikamaru ignored him and kept walking. 'I was told to get you home.' Again he was ignored. Sasuke grabbed the boy and turned him. His hand froze on the thin shoulder and he stared at the face before him. 'Get your hand off me.' The raven haired boy pulled his hand back and Shikamaru continued on his walk. He was tempted to make Sasuke stay where he was, but he didn't. It was no use. He was at Asuma's house before he noticed Sasuke had left.

Asuma looked down at Shikamaru and frowned. 'You are supposed to be at your house.' The Nara boy frowned and pulled the jacket off his shoulders. He offered it up to Asuma, who looked at it in mild confusion until he realized it was the one that he had given him. The small boy shivered and Asuma pushed it back to him. 'Keep it. Its cold out.' Shikamaru frowned but said nothing. His silence said more than any words could have. The sensei stepped to the side and the boy rushed in. He quickly sat at the couch and snuggled into the jacket. 'Cold?' Asuma laughed. The boy nodded as his jaw trembled. He was left alone as his teacher went into the kitchen.

Shikamaru basked in the warmth and smell that was his teachers home. It was so different from his own. His smelled of his fathers alcohol and his mothers attempt to clean up the dirt from the woods. His mother tried, but he couldn't love his house as he loved it here. He watched the fire his sensei had lit as it crackled and popped. A bowl was slid in front of his eyes and his mouth started to water. His stomach however groaned at the sight of the brown liquid. He shook his head. 'No thanks.' Asuma didn't remove the bowl instead he waved it around in the air. He knew that the smell would break the boy. But Shikamaru didn't react how he had thought he would.

'Stop it!' Shikamaru hit the bowl out of his teachers hand. It popped up into the air and fell straight onto the boy's lap. He shouted and pushed the bowl onto the floor. There was brown all over everything. The man stood in front of his white couch and stared at the stain starting to spread all over it. He looked to the cause of the mess and fell to his knees. 'Oh. Its ok.' He pulled the crying boy to him and sighed. Obviously something was wrong other than the soup falling. Shikamaru shook against Asuma's shoulder and mumbled inaudible words. He stilled and pulled away. 'It should have been me. You should have saved _him_ not me.' Shikamaru's head jerked as he was pushed back, his teacher's hands still holding his arms tight. 'Don't ever say that again.' Asuma's eyes burned when he looked at Shikamaru. The boy looked down and a tear dropped to the floor.

The pair were silent, only the crackle of the fire to break the uneasy quiet. Asuma stood and released the boy who wouldn't look up from the floor. He left the room and returned with what looked like a blanket. 'Here. Dry yourself off.' He pat the couch with another cloth and sighed when the stain revealed itself. There was no way he was going to get the horrid brown liquid off of his couch. He loved the couch. Shikamaru pat at his shirt and tried to get the soup that had gotten onto his skin, but his fishnet seemed to absorb the liquid and as soon as he thought he had dried himself it would release it and more liquid would spread itself on his skin. Asuma looked up and a small smile crossed his lips, which were strangely missing his normal cigarette. 'Take that off and I'll wash it. There's no way your getting that out.' The boy slipped his shirt off and revealed just how thin he was. The mesh stuck to his too thin frame and Asuma's eyes narrowed. Shikamaru didn't see his teachers scrutinizing gaze. He pulled on the netting and it slowly gave way. He pulled it up and over his head and handing the stringy fabric to Asuma who took it and the other cloths into another room. Shikamaru pulled the jacket over his shoulders and sat next to the fire to warm him.

From his laundry room Asuma heard the knocks at his front door and immediately his plans came flooding back. 'Kurenai.' He hissed and stuck his head out the door. Shikamaru was cuddled up with his jacket in front of the fire. His bare shoulder stuck out. It looked as if he wasn't wearing anything else. This was a bad situation and if Kurenai came in, it would get worse. 'Shikamaru, come here.' The boy looked up and stood. The blanket slipped down from his shoulders and pooled at the bend in his elbows. Even worse he cursed in his head. The boy came and Asuma pushed him in the room. 'Stay.' Shikamaru stared in confusion. He had been day dreaming and didn't hear the knocks. He didn't know what was going on.

'Asuma!' he heard a soft voice call angrily as more knocks rapped the wood. 'Coming.' Asuma called from the other side of the door Shikamaru was hid behind. Shikamaru heard the door open and footsteps, light ones, walk in quickly. 'It's freezing out there.' The lazy nin leaned against the door it creaked slightly, but not loud enough for anyone but Shikamaru to hear. The door shut and a heavy footstep meant that Asuma had went from welcoming her in to standing in front of the door. 'Oh my! What happened?' She must have seen the couch. 'I spilled dinner.' Shikamaru could imagine the smile gracing his teacher's face. He shivered and pulled the blanket up further onto his shoulders. 'You're so…' Kurenai didn't continue and Shikamaru wondered why she had stopped. He heard footsteps and a thump. Grown-ups he wanted to curse, but they would most likely hear him. 'I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cancel.' Asuma's voice sounded full of regret and Shikamaru frowned. He was messing this up for his sensei now. He looked to the window and pondered leaving. But the damage was already done.

Kurenai made a disgruntled noise but after a few minutes they settled that they would reschedule for tomorrow. The door shut and Shikamaru could hear his teacher's footsteps. The door opened and a slightly perturbed Asuma stood in front of him. 'I'm sorry,' Shikamaru quickly said. He stared at the ground. Asuma grabbed his chin and lifted his face. 'Stop this.' The boy was acting completely unlike himself. He had never seen him so active in the way he was feeling. Normally the boy was closed off and completely aloof. It was strange. Maybe something in the boy's life had created this change. 'Come sit.' Asuma led the boy to the couch, but the stain changed his mind and they sat in front of the fire. 'What's going on?' Asuma looked at Shikamaru and the boy looked back completely blank.

Shikamaru looked at his teacher and sighed. He didn't know how to explain what was going on in his head, and he didn't truly want to explain it. He shrugged, but from his teacher's expression he knew that he wasn't going to accept that as an answer. 'Nothing.' Another fierce look and Shikamaru looked away. He could not explain it and he would not. 'There is nothing wrong with me!' Shikamaru stood and glared down at his teacher. 'Leave me alone!' He threw the jacket around his shoulders at Asuma and ran at the door. He had slipped out the door and was halfway down the street when he heard Asuma's curse from the doorway. He shivered against the cold. He looked down and realized he had left his shirts in Asuma's washing machine and his shorts were still soaked with soup. He wrapped his arms around himself and grumbled. 'Why do I have to live on the outskirts?' He cursed himself and quickened his pace. Little did he know he was being watched.

END 1

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A/N: I've been writing this for a few months now. So if it has some issues that's probably why. A few sentences a day kind of make it a little choppy. I still hope that you liked it and will review. Thanks.


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